Wood is potentially one of the most environmentally friendly materials we can use in the garden: it’s a natural material that can be sustainably grown, it takes less energy than other hard materials to turn into products such as planks, panels and furniture, and it absorbs harmful carbon dioxide as it grows. But there’s a huge demand for it.
The shortage of fence panels earlier this year, when many householders needed to replace ones felled by the storms, was put down to European producers exporting more to China and Dubai - and in parts of the world trees are being felled in a way that damages the forests, the people who live in them, and the wider environment.

The growing, harvesting and processing of new timber uses energy and water. Where possible, use recycled or reclaimed wood. Re-use the wood you already have, or offer it to a local re-use project.
Buy locally produced wood products that are FSC certified, which will mean less transportation costs.
If the wood you want comes from abroad, make sure that it's FSC certified, with a chain of custody number.
With any wood that doesn't carry the FSC logo, find out what kind it is and check to see if it's from an endangered species (see good wood guides). If it is, try to find an alternative.
Support the work of conservation groups such as WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and The Woodland Trust to implement responsible forest management in the logging industry worldwide.